Family demands answers in police-involved shooting near Dorney Park
SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. (WPVI) -- As protesters gather in South Whitehall Township, the North Jersey family of 44-year-old Joseph Santos is demanding to know the details about what happened this past Saturday.
"Why did they shoot him? The last thing I told him was to be safe out there," said Kenneth Rodriquez, victim's son.
Witnesses say, minutes before officers drew their weapons Santos was acting erratically, running out into traffic and jumping on to cars along a busy stretch of Hamilton Blvd, not far from Dorney Park.
Cell phone video captures the scene when police opened fire.
Santos's son, Kenneth Rodriguez, and Santos's ex-wife Ruth say they haven't seen the video, and they have no desire to see it.
"I can't see the video. I don't want him to see the video because he's hurting right now. He can't talk to his dad, he can't text his dad. He was supposed to be with him yesterday," said Ruth Santos of Paterson, New Jersey.
Investigators are now going through witness reports and reviewing the cell phone video to determine if the shooting was justified.
But Santos says, despite the circumstances, Joseph didn't deserve to die in a hail of police gunfire.
"He left behind three beautiful kids, they don't have a dad no more. Something has to be done," Santos said.
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